Iowa Caucuses: Despite loss, Trump remains optimistic

Des Moines (Iowa), Feb 2: Donald J Trump conceded defeat in the Iowa caucuses that were held on Monday and thanked the local people in his speech at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines, New York Times reports.

He praised Mike Huckabee, who had received a record 40,954 votes in 2008 and suspended his campaign for the 2016 presidential race on Monday after finishing ninth in Iowa, besides congratulating Ted Cruz, the winner.

Donald J Trump

While Cruz got 28 per cent of the votes, Trump finished second with 24 per cent. Cruz got 47,510 votes while Trump got 41,812.

However, Trump said his loss was a win as he had been told that he would not succeed in competing here, the NYT report said.

The real-estate mogul, who has never held a public office, remained optimistic for the future tests, saying he "is up by large double-digits in New Hampshire", the report said.